


I'd Rather Be Sailing

by VivArney



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-23
Updated: 2015-12-23
Packaged: 2018-05-08 14:17:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5500430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VivArney/pseuds/VivArney
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story is set during the first season of Torchwood</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'd Rather Be Sailing

Jack Harkness heard the sound of running feet and turned to see the lone Cassid warrior approaching at full speed in the narrow confines of the Cardiff alley.

“It’s all right. We won’t hurt you. We just want to help” he said quietly, hoping the Cassid would understand his tone if not the meaning of the words.

Cassids weren’t the most intelligent creatures to come through the rift, or the best looking. Before they left the Hub, he’d compared them to the hunchbacked, pink creatures in that old computer game, DOOM. More berserker troops than tactitians, they didn’t normally carry weapons, but they did bite if they got close enough and he knew from prior experience that the bites were pretty painful even when they weren’t always fatal.

He and Ianto had been chasing the ugly, little bastard on foot for over an hour while Owen and Gwen followed in the SUV with Toshiko coordinating things from her computer in the Hub. They had seen the tiny lifepod come through the rift and were more than willing to try to help the stranded creature get back to its people, but the Cassid seemed unwilling to communicate. They were doing their best to keep it away from the humans still wandering around in the early evening darkness of Cardiff, but exhaustion was beginning to get the best of them.

The sun had set during the chase and the only light now came from the streetlights and his torch.

Jack touched his comms. “I’ve got him,” and gave his location.

He heard Ianto say he was on his way. Jack stood motionless just watching the Cassid across the alley. Suddenly, there was a sudden, bright flash and a loud BOOM - the blast wave hit Jack like a thunderbolt and he slammed into the wall behind a shop and landed in a heap of garbage from an overturned trash can in the shop’s doorway.

*****

“Jack?” Ianto called over the open channel, but when he got no answer, he broke into a run. “Gwen, Owen, something’s happened to Jack!” he called worriedly.

“We’re on the way,” Gwen assured him.

*****

As Ianto rounded the corner of the building, he spotted Jack lying in the doorway and his first impulse was to run to him, but he forced himself to take time to check the area for the alien.

There was no sign of the Cassid - at least, not at first. Then, he saw the mass of bloody tissue sliding slowly down the far wall. Had the alien killed itself rather than be captured? Jack knew more about aliens than the rest of them, but with Jack apparently out of action, he’d have to wait to ask him.

‘Unless he’s been killed...’ Ianto shook his head as he approached the motionless team leader. He didn’t want to even consider that possibility.

Ianto heard the SUV come to a stop nearby. The glare of the headlights spotlighted Jack’s body sprawled atop a mound of rancid garbage in the rear entrance to a shop.

“What happened?” Owen barked as he launched himself from the SUV and ran to Jack.

“I’m not sure. I was following him, there was a bright flash and then nothing.”

“Where’s the Cassid?” Gwen asked.

Ianto pointed to the mess beside the wall. “I think it suicided and took Jack with it.”

“He’s breathing,” Owen said with a sigh of relief. “Blimey, there’s a lot of blood.”

Gwen let loose the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. She alone out of the team knew Jack couldn’t be killed, but it still upset her to see him injured. She stood. “Ianto, let’s clean this up before somebody comes.”

Ianto stood and began looking for something to put gather up what was left of the alien. He found a large abandoned paint bucket and using its lid he scraped up as much of the gellatinous mass as he could.

After he’d put the lid back on the bucket, he returned to where Gwen and Owen were struggling with Jack’s limp body, but he was too heavy for them to move on their own. Ianto bent to lift Jack into a fireman’s carry and between the three of them, they loaded their team leader into the back seat of the SUV and Ianto returned for the bucket.

He swept his torch around the alley, checking for anything that might give the locals a clue as to what had happened in the area.

He found Jack’s gun and dropped it into his coat pocket then bent to pick up an oddly shaped metal object. It was roughly cylindrical, but the thing was heavy and certainly didn’t look like it belonged in an alley in central Cardiff.

There was still blood on the wall, but he knew there was rain due later that night and the blood would be washed off without his help.

*****

It took only a few minutes to get back to the Hub and Jack was quickly settled on the gurney in Owen’s work area. Toshiko came in, her dark eyes full of concern. She let out a gasp as she saw Jack’s face and clothes coated in blood.

“It’s not his,” Owen snapped without looking up. “well not ALL of it anyway.”

“What’s not his?” she asked.

“The blood.” he answered as Ianto brought him a pan of water and a clean cloth. “Look at the color.”

She watched him gently wiping the gore that was more blue/black than red from Jack’s face. “He’s okay then?”

Owen frowned. “I didn’t say that. He’s unconscious and it looks like he hit that wall pretty hard. He’s got some nasty looking cuts here too. Ianto can help me clean him up and we’ll see.”

Toshiko nodded. “What happened to the Cassid?”

Gwen appeared with the paint bucket. “Here. Very dead, I’m afraid.”

“Best put it into the fridge until I can get a look at it,” Owen said quietly without looking up from Jack’s motionless body. “I want to find out how it blew itself up.”

The ex-police officer nodded and hauled the bucket with its gruesome contents out of the room.

Ianto handed Tosh the metal object he’d picked up in the alley. “I don’t know what this is, but it was near Jack when I found him.”

She nodded and left to examine Ianto’s find.

*****

The room was totally black when Jack opened his eyes. He knew from the smell that he was in the Hub, probably in his own bed and wore only a t-shirt and underwear, but, with all the electronic devices in the Hub, there should have been at least SOME light.

He started to sit up, but firm hands on his shoulders gently pushed him back down onto the bed. It was just as well, he ached all over and lying still definitely felt like the better plan.

He smelled Ianto’s cologne and grinned. “Okay, waking up half naked in total darkness with you is kinda kinky,” he muttered. “How long have I been out?

“About two hours, but... Jack, the lights are on,” he heard Ianto say with concern in his voice.

Jack frowned. “Don’t play games with me, Ianto,” he warned. “It’s pitch black in here.”

There was a rush of air as Ianto jumped to his feet and went to Jack’s desk. He could hear the worry in the other man’s voice as he flipped on the intercom and called Owen to come up.

The team’s doctor and Gwen appeared at a run.

Jack smiled as the almost watermelon smell of Gwen’s perfume wafted around him. He felt her put a hand on his arm before Owen shooed her away so he could examine him.

*****

Gwen frowned. Jack had smiled at her arrival, but seeing his blue eyes flick back and forth as they fought to fix on something - anything around him upset her more than she wanted to admit.

*****

It was all Jack could do to stay quiet as Owen examined him. He knew that the chances of the blindness being permanent was non-existant, but it was damned annoying.

“Any pain?” Owen asked.

“Not in my eyes,” Jack answered. “My head, my back, my.... well let’s just say my eyes are the only thing that DOESN’T hurt just now.”

“Concussion?” Ianto asked.

“Possible,” Owen agreed. “Well, the good news is that there’s nothing physically wrong with your eyes that I can detect,” Owen said finally with a sigh. “Ianto said there was a pretty bright flash and explosion and we know there wasn’t much left of the Cassid when he got there. So, it probably just overloaded your retinas. They should adjust on their own.”

Jack nodded in agreement. “That was the brightest light I’ve ever seen.”

“What color?”

Jack thought back and frowned in concentration. “White. No, yellow!”

“Well, we can’t do anything just now.”

“Any idea how long til it wears off?”

Owen shrugged, felt stupid when he realized Jack couldn’t see him and sighed. “I honestly don’t know. I would suggest you stay up here until we know more, but, since I know you won’t, can I at least ask you to stay in the Hub? I don’t need you falling off a roof or something.”

Jack sighed. ‘Yeah. For now.”

“Tosh is still experimenting with that cylinder Ianto found. I’m thinking that it may have something to do with it. I was just about to do the autopsy on the Cassid.”

“Do you need anything, Jack?” Gwen asked quietly, touching him on the shoulder.

“No, not just now, Gwen, but thanks.” He settled back on the bed and closed his eyes. He let himself drift off to sleep.

*****

Why did the colors look so wrong? Everything so dark, so strange. Warmth and comfort. that was good, relaxing. Someone was close - round softness and a sweet smell. Not like the others - the hard ones - the ones who had been following. Why were they following? One of the hard ones had spoken, but the sounds of his deep voice made no sense. The hard one wouldn’t go, wouldn’t leave, just stood there. Something had to be done - escape was imperitive!

The soft one was speaking - voice full of concern, quiet and lyrical.

A hard one was answering, it stood and moved around the chamber. Were all the creatures here so dark? At least this particular hard one was calm and quiet, not like the first one. The first one had been powerful, angry and had the smell of ages. These two were young.

There were no others to make a rescue - not here - this world was forbidden. It had been an accident that caused the lifepod to come to this angry world and escape was the only solution. Rest and think. The answer would come.

*****

Gwen took a seat on the chair Ianto had left beside the bed and watched as Jack slept. Owen had told her Jack would be fine, but for some reason she felt that she had to stay near.

She jumped as Jack let out a sharp cry and started flailing around on the bed.

“Jack, what’s wrong?” she asked.

He was out of breath when he answered her. “Trapped... H... have to escape. Not safe here....”

“Jack, you’re in the Hub. We’re here with you. You’re safe,” she assured him, calmly, taking his hand and squeezing it.

He shook his head, his eyes full of fright. He struggled to get the words out. “No! This world is for... FORBIDDEN! This world is.... wrong.”

Gwen frowned. Instinctively she knew this wasn’t Jack speaking and, while she was frightened, it was obvious that whatever was going on, there was no danger. At least, not yet. She wanted to get Owen up here, but didn’t dare leave Jack unattended. “Who are you?"”  
“Have to.... have to...”

“You’re safe here,” she said quietly.

“Dark hair, dark eyes. Why is everyone... everything so dark?”

“You can see me?” she asked.

“Dark hair, dark eyes. Why is everyone... everything so dark?” Jack repeated, his muscular body shaking.

Gwen reached up and turned on the bright reading light on the bedside table. “Is that better?” she asked.

Jack sighed. “Yes - some.”

“Who are you?” Gwen asked again.

“TaSu,” came the whispered response. “Must escape... Shouldn’t be here.”

“Where is my friend, Jack?”

“Here. He is... angry.”

Gwen couldn’t resist a grin. “I’m sure he is. Does he know what is happening?”

TaSu shook Jack’s head. “No. The hard one is sleeping now.”

“Is he all right?”

“He sleeps.”

“When you leave will he be safe?”

“Yes. The hard one will wake soon.”

“That’s good.”

Tears appeared in Jack’s blue eyes. “Please... help me escape. Why did the hard ones chase me?”

“We were trying to help you and keep the others from finding you.”

“Dark world - so dark!”

“You’re afraid of the dark? Odd behavior for a warrior,” Gwen said quietly.

“Not warrior.... Not warrior! This world is too young - too angry - it  
is... forbidden.”

She smiled. “I’d have to agree with you on that.”

*****

“Owen what did you find out about the body?” Gwen asked as she came down later. Ianto was with Jack now. The team leader wasn’t responsive and TaSu had cried itself to sleep.

He shrugged and rubbed at his eyes tiredly. “Essentially, just meat and bones. No organs, just enough of a circulatory system to keep the meat from decaying.”

“So it’s a construct?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I kept thinking that we didn’t get it all, but a construct would be the best explanation.”

She told him about her conversation with TaSu.

“Okay, so how do we help it?” Ianto asked. “And get it to release Jack?”

She sighed. “This TaSu doesn’t seem to be hostile, Ianto. It’s almost too frightened to be of much help. Honestly, it acts more like a child than an adult. It knows it’s not supposed to be here and seems terrified of getting caught.”

Owen nodded his head in understanding. “Sounds like a teenager on a joyride. Did that once or twice myself. Luckily it was just round to the chip shop not to a forbidden planet, but Mum had a fit.”

“You’re more right than you know,” Jack’s voice cut in as the team leader came slowly into the room closely followed by Ianto. He was dressed in his usual cotton shirt, trousers and braces, but his eyes still didn’t seem able to focus on the other team members.

He tripped over a container Owen had left on the floor, lost his balance and would have fallen face first into a table top if Ianto hadn’t grabbed him.

“A Cassid warrior wouldn’t be scared. It would have torn the place apart trying to get free. So, I think you and Gwen are right in thinking it’s a child or a teenager.” Jack continued as Ianto helped him to a chair.

“How is it TaSu can see, but you can’t?” Gwen asked.

“I don’t know,” Jack answered. “I can feel it scrambling around in my mind a bit, but I don’t think it can come out unless I’m asleep. It’s terrified. I kinda feel sorry for it, it’s so... lost.”

“So, we have a frightened kid trying to get out of a place it knows it’s not supposed to be and no idea how to help it. Lovely!” Owen snapped. He slammed a tool down onto the metal table and the others jumped.

“What about that thing Ianto found in the alley? Any luck with that?” Jack asked.

Tosh had followed Ianto and Jack. “It’s a container of some sort,”  
she began as the cylinder was passed around the group. “There are no markings on the outside, but there is a small opening at the top. It recesses into the container.”

“So what does it hold?” Jack asked as he examined the object with his fingers. He let out a surprised yelp then gasped suddenly and his chin dropped to his chest.

“Jack!?” Gwen cried in fear.

“I’m okay,” he answered after a moment. “It just surprised me.”

“What?”

“Just a slight electrical charge - static electricity maybe.” He frowned, then began speaking rapidly. “Cassid has two suns - the planet orbits between them, but it’s never night there. So I can understand why TaSu wouldn’t like the darkness. Cassid ships don’t even have windows. They operate completely on instruments. I think this might be part of the ship.

“Ianto, where did you put that lifepod?”

“Downstairs in one of the store rooms.”

“Good, let’s go down there. I have an idea.”

The others followed skeptically as Ianto led Jack down into the lower section of the Hub.

The room smelled dank as they entered it, but this far beneath the surface of Cardiff it never truely dried.

Gwen hadn’t actually seen the Cassid life pod before this - Ianto had put it away just before they’d started chasing TaSu. It was black, cylindrical and barely two meters long. The surface glittered in the bright lights of the store room. ‘Almost like a coffin,” she thought with a shiver.

“Ianto and I looked at it earlier,” Tosh said. “We couldn’t get into it. It’s perfectly smooth.”

“Ianto, take this,” Jack handed him the small cylinder. “Put the open end against the pod.”

The taller man did as he was asked. There was a bright flair of light and the black pod hummed to life. The team watched as the pod vanished.

Jack cried out in pain and brought his hands up to cover his eyes as he crumpled onto the floor.

Owen dropped down beside the groaning team leader. “Gwen, put out the lights!” he ordered.

The room was plunged into darkness and Jack fell silent. Only the dim security lights glowed above them throwing eerie shadows around the large room.

“What’s wrong?” Toshiko asked, kneeling beside the team’s doctor.

Ianto sat down behind Jack and pulled him into a sitting position against him. “TaSu?”

“Gone,” Jack said tiredly, his eyes closed.

Owen ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Open your eyes, Jack.”

The team leader shook his head. “The light...”

“The lights are off, it’s just the securities.” Owen assured him. “Go ahead.”

“Okay,” Jack agreed and slowly opened his eyes. “Oh, that’s better,” he sighed.

Gwen turned to Owen. “What happened?”

Owen shrugged. “Jack’s been in the dark for,” he checked his watch, “about six hours now. That flash when TaSu left must have been like a camera strobe.”

“Times a hundred,” Jack said. He rubbed at his eyes. ‘It’s still kinda bright in here,” he added, blinking rapidly.

Owen grinned. “Pins and needles too, I’ll bet. Give your eyes a little time to adjust. I think it’ll clear on its own.

“How did you know it would work, Jack?” Gwen asked as Ianto helped Jack to his feet.

“I didn’t,” he admitted tiredly. “but I guess I was getting some information from TaSu. Cassids are almost shapeless - like energy creatures. They have to have a “host” to move around on most worlds.”

“That body...”

“Was exactly what you thought it was, Owen, a construct - kinda like a spacesuit. When it felt trapped, it abandoned the construct and jumped into me. Not the most pleasant experience I’ve ever had,” he said with a groan.

"But why couldn't you see?"

Jack shrugged. "It's just a guess, but the Cassid home planet has two suns, it could be that they see in other light ranges than a human.”

"Or TaSu's presence might've caused some electrical changes in your brain and it affected your vision" Owen said quietly.

Jack shrugged. "That's possible, too," he agreed. "But TaSu's on the way home so we'll probably never know."

"Well, I hope TaSu doesn't get into too much trouble," Gwen said as the team made their way back into the main section of the Hub with Tosh going ahead of them to turn down the lights.


End file.
